A woman gave birth next to her dying husband after he was stabbed by a gang on their way to hospital.

Talent Gono, 34, was carrying his wife Lilian’s overnight bag down to their waiting Uber when he was ambushed and stabbed repeatedly by a gang of eight in Cape Town, South Africa.

Lilian’s waters then broke and she ended up giving birth to their daughter at the scene, just moments before Talent – who was knifed in the chest and head – took his final breath.

Neighbours at the Joe Slovo township were too scared to leave their homes to help her so she had to lie cuddling her new born baby alone.

Talent, who was a welder, had been saving for three years and had enough money to start a new life in his native Zimbabwe, where the couple were due to move in April.

UK wildlife artist Carol Cook, who knows the pair, sold a painting to support them, and the money raised paid for his equipment to start a future welding business.

Lilian has been now been left to support their newborn, who has been named Talent after her father, and her older sister Mia, five, alone as South African police hunt the killers.

Lilian works as a maid and her employer Jeannie Ross has set up a Back a Buddy campaign to raise money for Talent’s funeral.

Jeannie said: ‘I got a voice message from Lilian screaming and sobbing in shock and confusion saying she had gone down to the Uber with Talent.

‘A group of thugs attacked him in the dark beating him mercilessly and stabbed him in the head, stomach and chest leaving him in a pool of blood.

Lilian tried to help but was overtaken by searing pain as her waters broke and lying there beside her dying husband she gave birth to their baby girl.

‘Their babies first cry filled the night just as he took his last breath.

‘Lilian now faces an unimaginable road ahead raising two children without the man who was their anchor so I am trying to raise funds to help’ she said.

Toni Tresadern, 68, a family friend of Lilian and Talent who runs a place of safety for children charity said: ‘What happened was utterly appalling.

‘They beat him to the ground with a blunt instrument then repeatedly stabbed him and as he lay dying his wife gave birth lying on the floor beside him.

‘Talent passed away a few seconds after she was born.

‘The thugs walked off and were looking back laughing.  They had taken a life for an old phone and the baby bag that was to go with Lilian to hospital.

‘She lay alone in the road with her new-born baby beside her dead husband as everyone was too scared to come out until the ambulance arrived” she said.

South African Police spokesman Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said that officers arrived at a medical clinic to find the victim’s murdered body.

‘The deceased had been declared dead from stab wounds at the scene by medical personnel and the unknown suspects fled and are being hunted.

‘The motive for this attack is robbery and it is being treated as murder’.

You can support Lilian and her daughters by visiting their Back a Buddy page.

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